Becky’s quest to visit every country continues by climbing Kilimanjaro

Becky Perlow traveling in Mongolia

On her quest to visit every country in the world, Becky Perlow of Pikesville, MD will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in February 2014.  Only in her mid-20’s, Becky has been to 25 countries, and after this Africa trip, it will be 29.

Ms. Perlow will be climbing Kilimanjaro on the 7-day Machame Route.  Also known as the Whiskey Route, this route is the second most popular route. It is a more difficult route but incredibly beautiful.  Although the climb is not a technical climb, summit day is long, strenuous and at high elevation (19,340 ft).

“Everyone that knows me knows that I have two goals in life, and one is to see every country before I die, so Tanzania is just another notch to my belt,” says Ms. Perlow. That being said, I think there’s a real possibility that I might not make it up to the top of the mountain, but knowing that doesn’t deter me. In fact, it encourages me to push myself to a place I don’t usually experience in my daily life but I still crave daily.

“I’ve backpacked all over Europe and Asia with my trusty backpack, Jeremy (yes, I’ve named my backpack — don’t judge), so I’m not too concerned about the physical part of the hike. I was also fortunate enough to spend two weeks horseback riding in Mongolia and in that time, I didn’t shower for 12 days. I can’t say I’m really looking forward to that again — but what’s seven days without a shower after nearly two weeks without one? 🙂

“When I tell my friends and family about the trek, none of them are surprised — they know I love traveling and will try anything once, whether that’s scuba diving with sharks in the Caribbean, jumping out of a plane in Israel or playing with scorpions in Malaysia (and yes, I’ve done all of that).

“After Kili, I’m heading to Rwanda to play with gorillas (and by play, I mean take pictures from 10 yards away and pray none of the baby gorillas are brave enough to come near me and steal my camera), then to visit Zambia and Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls.”

Mount Kilimanjaro, located three degrees south of the equator in northeastern Tanzania, is the tallest mountain in Africa, and the highest freestanding mountain in the world.  “Kilimanjaro is our hottest destination,” says Robin Paschall, owner of Adventures Within Reach.  “What a great way to see the country and meet the people!”

“My goal in life is to see every country before I die,” says Ms. Perlow.  “On my bucket list of great things to see in the world, hiking Kili is one of them — mostly to prove to myself that I can do it.”